Bailey of Bristol caravans and motorhome complete epic journey to the Sahara Desert and back
This time the company took two Bailey caravans (a pair of Phoenix+ 642 models) pulled by Ford MS-RT Ranger tow vehicles and two Ford-based Bailey motorhomes (an Adamo 75-4T and Bailey’s first ever panel van Endeavour B62) from the ‘World’s End’ in southwest Portugal through Spain and across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco. Once in Africa, the team travelled south over the Atlas Mountains to the northern edge of the Sahara Desert before returning home.
Some of the iconic sites and landmarks visited along the way included the cities of Rabat, Marrakesh or Casablanca, the ancient Fez Medina, the UNESCO heritage site of Aït Benhaddou or the rugged scenery of the Dades Gorge.
This is the second time the Bailey Team has taken on this challenge after the first attempt in March 2020 was halted for safety reasons following the arrival of Coronavirus.
This latest long-distance endurance test follows three similar journeys taken with Bailey leisure vehicles in recent years:
West to East Challenge (2015)
3,500 miles from the west coast to the east coast of Australia through the centre of the country with two Bailey Alu-Tech caravans.
Arctic Adventure (2017)
5,000 miles from the UK to Northern Finland inside the Arctic Circle and back with two Bailey Alu-Tech caravans and one motorhome.
Bristol to Bosphorus (2018)
5,000 miles from the UK to Istanbul and back, taking in 21 countries in 21 days with two Bailey Alu-Tech caravans and one motorhome.
Talking about the successful completion of the Sahara Challenge 2, Bailey Managing Director and member of the Sahara Challenge team, Nick Howard, said:
“One of the big values of this trip, other than the enjoyment of Africa and the new experiences, is that we get to test the vehicles in real life. It is well known that we do Millbrook accelerated life testing in the UK, but to bring the caravans and motorhome here on tour and see how they performed in the real world is vital for us so we can learn first-hand how they perform.
There are many things we’ve learned along the way in terms of how to make things fit better or how to stop squeaks and rattles, but overall, the products have held up exceptionally well”
Simon Howard, Bailey Marketing Director and also a member of the Sahara Challenge 2 team, said:
“After three years, we are so pleased to have finally made it to the Sahara. Despite the challenging route, the vehicles stood up remarkably well, proving that you really are just limited by your imagination on where you can go and what you can do with a Bailey caravan or motorhome”.
The Sahara Challenge was completed in association with the Caravan and Motorhome Club. Nick Lomas, Director General of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said: “The Club was proud to support the Bailey of Bristol Sahara Challenge. The Challenge was the perfect opportunity to inspire people to broaden their horizons, visit new places and experience different cultures. I was part of the team from Portugal to the Sahara Desert and it was a testament to the planning of the trip and how smoothly everything went. It was the epitome of teamwork in the truest sense. To be able to take caravans back to their roots, the trade and travel routes of the original ‘caravanserai’, was an incredible achievement. Morocco has left me with treasured lifelong memories.”
Bailey of Bristol would like to thank the following organisations, in addition to the Caravan and Motorhome Club, for their support of the Sahara Challenge 2: Avon Battery – BBL, Avtex Garmin, Bodyrag, Cadac, Caravan Times, CGI, Dometic, Ford MS-RT, Gaslow, Oddballs, Prima Leisure, Thetford, Tracker & Truma.
To find out more about the journey, you can visit the Bailey website and find updates in the Bailey and the Caravan and Motorhome Club social media channels under #SaharaChallenge.
